Lord of the Puzzles
by Krys Imeteri-Greenleaf
Summary: YGOLoTR crossover. Yugi finds a mysterious book with the title The Fellowship of the Ring What he doesn't know is that it will lead him on his greatest adventure yet... R
1. Chapter I

Darkness...

Just darkness..

It surrounds me as a sea of strange creatures encircle me. They are nothing I've seen before in my life. Grotesque....black-hearted.....I feel as if I've only read about them in a book once. And I've seen some pretty strange stuff in my day....

What? With saving the world a couple of times with my darker counterpart..meeting villians of every callibur...meeting new friends...new enemies..rivals... you'd think I've seen it all..

But you're wrong.....  
  
My next adventure has yet to begin....  
  
My limits will be pushed to the breaking point....  
  
I will have to save the world again.....  
  
But this time.....It's another world I have to save

Only few know about its existance.....

Many only think it a Legend

But it does exist....

And it needs my help.....

One mystery after another.....

And my own puzzle has yet to be solved......

----------------------  
  
I woke up one moring to the alarm going off. I rubbed my sleepy, amythest eyes and turned the alarm off. I yawned and went to my bathroom. I took a quick shower and brushed out my wild mass of multi-colored hair. I sometimes wonder why my hair is the way it is. Most people can call themselves blonde...red haired..and black haired..but only I can say I'm all three naturally. Hehe.....But it stands up in every direction (excluding my bangs, but that's a different story) which makes me look and feel like a weirdo....

But who am I kidding?  
  
Weirdoness is practically my middle name(though I actually don't have a real middle name)... Mr. Yugi Weirdoness Motou.  
  
Why do I consider myself weird you ask?  
  
...Where do I begin?  
  
Oh yeah...I'm a sixteen year old sophomore at Domino High School. I'm about 5'0 exact(power to the short people!) and about 98 pounds. I have numerous friends(though some don't go to school with me).

Jounouchi Katsuya, former bully and best friend. He's blonde(Jokes aren't excepted unless you want a black eye)with puppy brown eyes(same with puppy jokes) and about 5'10.

Honda Hiroto, also Former bully and best friend(other than me) to Jounouchi. Tall (about 6'0 if I'm not mistaken) dark haired(though it lookes like a dorsal fin) and really shy around girls.

Ryou Bakura, Former exchange student from England, a really shy kid and, like me, has a darker half. Ryou is about 5'7 and has white hair(don't call him Albino because he isn't) and doe brown eyes. You'd mistake him for a girl at a distance if he wasn't wearing the standard uniform for Domino boys.  
  
Otogi Ryuuji, the creator of the popular game Dungeon Dice monsters(and a real ladies man) About 5'9, black hair in a ponytail, emerald green eyes and a dice earring(he's obessed with dice..ahem..) He kind of came after me after my victory over Pegasus J. Crawford at Duelist Kingdom(but that's another story entirely) and we became friends after I beat him at his own game.  
  
Shizuka Katsuya, Jounouchi's little sister whom he payed for her eye operation a long time ago and is now a freshman at Domino. 5'3 with strawberry blonde hair and honey/hazel eyes. She's really sweet and nice and depends a lot upon her older brother. She couldn't see without him.  
  
Seto Kaiba, not real friend(in his eyes) but has helped me in tight spots. Was an orphan with his younger brother, Mokuba, and was adopted with him by winning a game of chess. Though..afterward..life was hell for him, causing him to be cold-hearted and distant(excluding his brother). He's about 6'1 with chestnut hair and icy blue eyes. Also not good to be on his bad side.  
  
That about sums up my friends except one..

As I prefer(as well as everyone else) annoying aquaitance. Anzu Masaki. Chestnut brown hair, about 5'6 and ocean spray eyes. Seems normal enough right? My only advice is to run before you know her. She..Is..**ANNOYING!!!** Every other word from her mouth has something to do with friendship, Love, and the likewise. It's nice at first..but..every other sentence?  
  
I thought so.  
  
There is another person I neglected to recognize; My Darker Half Atemu(also called Yami). In a past life, he was Pharaoh over all of Egypt. Pretty cool to have an egyptian spirit living inside of an ancient item I carry. The Sennen Puzzle. Ryou's is the Sennen Ring(the spirit which resides is who we call Bakura) Both look like us respectively and there is another like us. An egyptian boy named Malik Ishtar who also has a darker half. But he's not like mine or Ryou's counterparts. This one was forged in the darkness and hatred of Malik's soul that just took form when he touched the Sennen Rod. Long story which will be saved for another time.  
  
I walked to school like I usually do, uniform crisp, hair managable, puzzle loosely around my neck, Yami asleep....  
  
School bores him...  
  
I agree

But I don't get to sleep..

Lucky...  
  
I then suddenly spot an old book on the ground. Now who would throw a perfectly good book on the ground?

A very absentminded person obviously.

I dust off the cover and read the title.  
  
" "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien" I read aloud.  
  
I've heard about this book, but haven't had the chance to read it yet. The movies we're awesome though and they made me want to read the books so badly, but they we're either checked out of the Domino library or out of stock at the book store. I knew the characters though. Frodo, Gandalf, Strider, and everyone else. We have action figures at Grandpa's game shop and I know them by heart now

I looked inside the front cover and read aloud the poem

_Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky,_

_Seven for the dwarf-lords in the halls of stone,_

_Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die,_

_One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne  
In the Land of Mordor where the shadows lie._

_One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,  
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them_

_In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie._

I guess that's the whole plot of the book. Quite interesting....but then I discovered there was more....

_Reader, beware of where you stand.  
Your destiny, soon, is at hand._

_An adventure awaits you on the morrow_

_To help secede the sadness & sorrow._

_The journey of the One Ring ends _

_While another quest soon begins_

_With this book you have found  
The fellowship, with friends profound_

_Together with the original nine_

_Many more makes the number divine_

_Though one is of the foe_

_This information no one shall know_

_Through fire, thunder, and water alike_

_Many will survive this trecherous spite_

_The Golden Woods, Rohan, and Mordor you will reach_

_The lesson of the mirror it has to teach_

_So read on if you dare_

_Because you have barely time to prepare_

_Prepare for the dangers ahead_

_Less..you want to end up dead_

Okay..that was creepy.... I walk home(aka Game shop) looking at the book. I think Ryou's read the books..maybe he knows what's going on. I phone up all my friends and they come(including Malik & Seto which surprises me.) Ryou and them bring their Yamis, Bakura, Seth, & Marik, and Seto looks over the book and reads the poem.

"This isn't part of the original book," he said, "Someone must have written inside of it and only made it appear threatening."

"I don't know," Jounouchi says, "seems kind of serious. Especially that last part."

"Yeah.." Honda said, "is that like some sort of magic or something?"  
  
Seth closed his eyes, him being a former high priest and magician to the Pharaoh, he can sense magical energies from things.

"I'm afraid it's quite serious," he says, "we'll have to wait onto the morrow to see if it's telling the truth."

"If you wake up somewhere in the woods," Bakura stated, "don't think it was a prank being pulled."

Marik snickered at that.

I didn't think it was so funny.

Things that go bump in the night scare me.  
  
I'm a wimp..I know...  
  
A lot of people would agree...

But I'm a sweet wimp and that's all that counts...

Shutting up now....  
  
"I think the best thing to do is for everyone to stay in the Gameshop tonight," Yami suggested.

Makes me feel better....  
  
Hikari & Yami counterparts agree to stay. So does Jounouchi.

But Honda & Otogi have other stuff to do.

Lucky...

But I'm betting Honda's chicken...

I am too..but no one saying I get out of it because of that...

And that I was the one who found the book in the first place.....

What a drag.....  
  
-----------------------------------------

Later that night, I kept my deck close to me, with my Dark Magician(favortism to the max!) on top. He always knows what to do when I'm inbetween a rock and a hard place.

Same with Yami, but that's a different story....

"Dark Magician..." I say softly, "have you even been in a situation like this one?"

For some reason, I think I saw him smiling softly at me. That doesn't bother me...

I see strange things everyday....

Take today for example....

Yeah..I thought so....

I soon drift off to sleep, Yami speaking softly in Ancient Egyptian.

I don't know how he does it......

But...

When I wake up the next morning....

I'm...Like Bakura said..In the middle of the forest....with...

An arrow in my face...


	2. Chapter II

Mental note.....

Never **EVER** pick up suspicious-looking books off the ground again....  
  
Arrow in face proves this fact....  
  
The guy in front of me has another companion with him, but they look a lot alike..like twins almost...Long, dark hair with a few braids in it; peircing grey eyes(and I thought mine were weird); with forest colored tunics.

Yes..tunics..

They'd probably hurt me for saying something about Robin Hood Men in Tights  
  
Yep..definatly scratch that thought out.  
  
Though what surprised me(though hardly anything surprises me anymore....ahem) was the fact that both guys had pointed ears...  
  
Either that's really good plastic surgery or I'm in deep trouble.  
  
I curl up into a ball hoping beyond hoping that they take pity on me.

I'm just a scared little boy that's lost in the Woods!  
  
Stop laughing..it's true...

They exchange a look..pretty weird if you ask me...  
  
What?  
  
"Uhh..."one says, "Are you lost little one?"  
  
Very big and very fat **DUUUUHHHH!!! **And lay off the short jokes....I've heard them all..

Trust me

"Yes..I am.." I said.  
  
Not as sarcastic and rude. Be nice to guy with very sharp pointy objects...

The one that talked to me, lifted me up to my feet..me realizing I'm still in my pajamas!  
  
My favorite pair too..all muddy and everything!  
  
Waa....  
  
"By Valar, he's only as tall as a halfling!" the other said.  
  
What's a halfling?

"Or he could just be a child of man...though I have not seen that kind of eye color or..hair before..."

I'm unique and special..leave me alone!

"What is your name little one?"  
  
I answered "Yugi Motou."

"Strange name..."  
  
Hey..what you see is what you get..  
  
"You're not from this land are you?"  
  
Nope..sure ain't..Unless guys like you run all over the place in my world and just haven't noticed.....

It could happen!

"No" I say,"I'm not from here. Infact..I'm not even sure where here is exactly."

They look at me with pity.

Stop looking at me like that...it's disturbing...

They then start talking in a weird language I've never heard in my life.  
  
Must be afraid of eavsdropping...  
  
I can speak Pig Latin and people still don't understand me! Mwahahaha!

Quit looking at me..I'm a person..not a picture...

"We shall escort you back to Rivendell so our father can decide what to do with you."  
  
Why do I have a feeling this is going to be a bad thing?

Uhh..ESP?

No..I'm special..but not that special....  
  
They lead me through a beautiful city...wonder how much of a pretty penny this cost?

Better to keep my mouth shut...

I am taken to a study-like room(though lots of windows!) with (I'm assuming..you never know these days) their father. Well..there IS a resemblance.

"Ada," One brother says, the guy turning, me wondering what the hell he said.

"Yes, my sons?" he said, in this highly dignified and regal aura around him.

"We found this boy outside the palace walls before we set out. He seems fine....but I haven't seen anything like him before...."

"He says his name is...Yugi Motou," the other commenting..me still confused.

"Well," the older dude says "welcome to Rivendell."

Nice name..a bit strange..but nice....

I don't tell him that....

He leads me to a chair that I can sit at and dismisses his sons. Nice to have met you guys....though I don't know your names!

"What are you doing here little one?" he asks sitting in a chair across from me.

"Well...I guess I was transported here by a mystical book.....I'm from a different world..as you might have guessed," I said.

He then raised an eyebrow at me..which was creepy beyond creepy.

"Indeed?" he asked.

"Yes, " I said, brushing a stray hair of blonde from my face, my puzzle shining when the sunlight hit it.

The guy stared at it curiously, asking "What is that pendant around your neck?"

I looked down and held the puzzle fondly.

"It's my sennen puzzle....over 5000 years and belongs to me and my darker half Atemu....or Yami as we prefer."

I then told him the story of the seven items from Ancient Egypt and how Atemu and Akiefa(Ryou's yami Bakura) were put inside the items so long ago and became our darker halves. I also retold the story of the Egyptian Gods, Duel Monsters(me showing him my cards) Duelist Kingdom, Battle City, meeting Dartz and his group. Though Kaiba's technology was a bit harder to explain(one..this place is so far behind on techno it's not even funny..and two..I barely understand it myself) so, I used my duel disk to show him.

I set my Dark Magician on the plate and he came to life right before his eyes. He was a bit surprised to say the least...

Hehe..I think I scared him.

"What sort of magic is this?" he asked, trying to catch his breath.  
  
"No magic..." I said, smiling, "just holograms. Go on and try to touch him."

The lord tried to do as told, but it just passed right through. Though I have to admit it to Kaiba, not ripple or crease was seen when his hand paseed through. Go Kaiba.

"No Magic," I repeated, "or...it's modern magic where I come from."

"These marvels you have shown me are quite interesting," he said, standing then.

"Thank you," I said, taking my card and putting away my duel disk, "but I wonder how I'm going to get back home...."

"We shall help you Yugi. You have the word of the Elves of Imaldris, as well as Elrond, lord of the elves of this kingdom."

I'm assuming he means himself because he's about the most regal looking one I've seen so far.

"I shall have my servents attend you. I'm sorry to leave such an interesting tale, but a council beckons me more. Good day to you Yugi of..?"  
  
"Uhh..Domino....Yugi of Domino."

He smiled softly at me.

"Farewell..Yugi of Domino and such wonderous tales...may our paths cross again soon today."

Some servants came in and lead me to my own room.

Which, by the way, is way better than my own at home. I feel jealous. Only a few duel monsters posters, a computer and a tv sytem and they'll be set.

I lay out on what I consider a king sized bed, surprised at his softness and immediatly fall asleep.


	3. Chapter III

Best night of sleep I've ever had....

Big bed is fun, though I have a frequent problem of sinking in sometimes....

Almost like quick sand! Eek!

I jumped down off the bed I had been sleeping on (though I was jumping on it earlier to test it) and looked down at my still soiled pjs. Grandpa's going to kill me....

That is...if I can get home again...

I look around to try and find some sort of clothing that could get me out of my pjs when I saw a set of leggings (not pants...too tight to be pants) an under shirt, over shirt, tunic, belt, and boots.

I am never making fun of Robin Hood again....

I put on the clothes...making me feel so...King Arthur-ish....

Now if only I had a sword, but I doubt they'd trust me with one.

I'm a kid with little experience with a weapon of that caliber...

But I've Role-played using one! That's gotta count for something!

And I've used one in a school play....

Though I just threw it to the hero....

Because I was the valiant princess that was to be saved from a ferocious fire breathing dragon.

Very degrading... I know....

It's the reason I never participated in a play again....

Anywho...back to the present...

Some commotion was going on outside my window and I looked to see four people, about my size, with very large and very hairy feet.

Uhh...too much Rogaine? Or never heard of a razor?

Trying very hard not to laugh...

They're having a warm reunion from this height and that's nothing to be made fun of. I'd feel the same after being a long distance from my friends.

Speaking of which....

Weren't the others here too? We usually all go on a big adventure like this...

But...so far...I've only seen myself....

No Jounouchi....

No Ryou....

No Honda.....

No Seto.....

No psychotic darker halves....

No annoying blabbermouths....

Not even my own Yami....

Am I really on this adventure all by myself this time?

I looked at my puzzle, looking for some sort of comfort.

Am I...alone this time?

--------------

The four creatures went their separate ways, though three went into hiding...which was kind of peculiar to me.....

Why would they need to hide?

Hide and Seek?

I went downstairs and met up with a fat, blonde one. He seemed intent about where his dark-haired friend went to. The other two hide behind pillars near a place where it looked like a secret council meeting was going on.

It took me a minute to realize what was going on.

Lord Of The Rings.....Secret council....dark-haired short, hairy footed creature.....elves...dwarves...men...dark-haired, hairy footed creature bringing forth a plain ring to put on display and everyone gasping from surprise.

The Council of Elrond!

I do pay attention to Ryou when goes off into his LoTR's mode.

The deciding factor of who goes on the quest to destroy the one ring. The Nine Walkers. The Fellowship of the Ring.

I feel like an idiot sometimes....Don't you?

Some words were passed back and forth, some more insulting than the last.

And Welcome to MEW!! Middle Earth Wrestling!!

Okay...they didn't really wrestle...but you could tell they would the way their caustic tongues were flying. Especially between the Dwarves and the Elves.

A small voice rang out amongst what I had dubbed "wrestling" and they seem to stare at what had caused the brawling to stop.

"I will take the Ring to Mordor," the small voice said again, "though I do not know the way."

Frodo! That's who the dark-haired hairy-footed creature is! And here comes Gandalf! Soon followed by Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir! Then the blonde one, I figured Samwise, stood and took his move.

Elrond didn't look too pleased when Merry & Pippin (I assumed) came out as well.

"You need brains on this quest-trip-thing!" Pippin exclaimed.

"Well," Merry said sarcastically, "that rules you out Pip."

Then a new figure appeared that shook me to the core.

Jounouchi!

He was at the council and I wasn't!? Oh that is so not fair!

"I'll go too!" he said, getting up from his seat.

I think Elrond is having a very painful migraine.

Should I go with them?

Dangers beyond imagination?

Possibility of getting killed?

Yeah...sure

I step out of my hiding place, saying "I'll go with you all to help Frodo destroy the ring."

Poor Elrond....wish I had some Excedrin to give him to make him feel better.

"And so it shall be..." Elrond said, regaining his composure (you get that a lot from being a lord) "Eleven walkers. You shall be known as The Fellowship of the Ring."

Famous last words.....

"Great," Pippin said, "where are we going again?"


	4. Chapter IV

Sorry, for the long update. I've been really busy these many, MANY months. Ehehe... Here's the Next Chapter of LoTP!

_Meanwhile, back in Domino City..._

I groggily wake up as my yami threatens the former pharaoh to get away from his Lucky Charms. The pharaoh comes back with he'll send Bakura to the Shadow Realm if he doesn't surrender the milk immediately.

Why can't I have normal friends?

By the way, I'm Ryou Bakura, an English transfer student at Domino High School. I guess Yugi told you I was the shy one of the group, and I'm sad to say that I agree with him. I'm not the most courageous person, but I am loyal to my friends.

That has to count for something, right?

It was then I decided to intervene with the yamis and their battle of the milk and Lucky Charms. I grabbed it out of the unsuspecting yamis' greedy fingers and grabbed a bowl for myself.

"Ryou no likie yamis threatening to send the other to the Shadow Realm this early in the morning," I say sleepily, scratching my back in an amusing sort of way I normally wouldn't have.

I'm half-asleep. You'd be surprised at what you do when you're half-asleep too.

I scratch my white-haired head sleepily and ask, "Where's Yugi?"

Bakura shrugs in my general direction, stealing the milk from my hands. I pull a spoon from the drawer and hit my yami upside the head with it. Steal the milk from me again and I'll poke you with a very sharp spork next time. My yami seemed to take the hint. Hikari Power!

"That's odd," Yami (Yugi's, not mine) said, "I can't sense Yugi in our soul room."

"Maybe he's still in bed," My yami said, rubbing a sore head.

"No," Yami retorted, "It's Saturday. He's usually up by now."

"What kind of person gets up this early on a Saturday!?" Bakura screeched, "It's inhumane!"

"You're up early on a Saturday," Yami said, twirling his spoon in the Lucky Charms.

"I'm not human," Bakura said.

"You once were human," Yami retorted, pointing his spoon at Bakura.

"That was then, this is now. Besides, why would your hikari be up at this hour?"

"Saturday morning cartoons. Yugi tells me they've moved his favorite shows to early in the morning. Curses the network frequently because of it."

"Ah," Bakura said simply and continued with his cereal.

Now I'm not one for Saturday cartoons, but I can see why Yugi gets up early in the morning. I finish my cereal and sit in a comfortable chair, pulling out my copy of "The Fellowship of the Ring." My copy isn't the possessed one Yugi found yesterday. Something seems a bit off on that copy.

I skim throughout the beginning of the book, coming towards the end of the Council of Elrond. It was always one of my favorite parts of the story. Frodo has already set the One Ring on the altar in the middle of the council and they contemplate of what to do with the cursed jewelry. It was then that I noticed a very familiar name in the text. And where did the term "MEW" come from? I had no idea that Middle Earth had wresting federations.

"Middle Earth has wrestling federations?" Bakura asked over my shoulder.

"That can't be right," I say quietly, flipping back a few pages, "Middle Earth doesn't have wrestling federations."

"You'd think they did, the way the dwarves and the elves duke it out," Bakura commented, sipping orange juice.

"'The young boy showed the lord of Rivendell his wondrous contraption," I read aloud, "a device with plates where he placed a card of some sort and the image came to life in front of the elf's eyes.'"

"That sounds like Kaiba's duel disk," Yami commented, sitting next to me.

"Can you imagine elves and dwarves wearing leather though?" Bakura expressed his thoughts about Middle Earth wrestling, "Naw, probably wouldn't wear it though..."

"'The image that appeared before the elf lord was that of a tall magician dressed in violet with striking blue eyes,'" I continued to flip through the book.

"That sounds like the Dark Magician," Yami said, coming in closer.

"'The boy, dressed in soiled pajamas, stood before the twin sons of Elrond, bearing the innocent look of a small child. His hair was an unruly mass of black and red with golden bangs. Little did the twins know that the boy before them was a vessel to a pharaoh of Egypt and came from a time unknown to the people of Middle Earth'."

"Yugi," Yami whispered, his crimson eyes looking down, "the book wasn't lying. Yugi must've been transported into the book during the night. So, how was I not transported with Yugi into the book?"

"Maybe the book doesn't like you, Pharaoh," Bakura teased.

"Shut it, Tomb Robber," Yami growled at the smirking Bakura.

"Shut it, both of you," I said, shutting the book, "let's think of the matter at hand. Yugi, to our knowledge, is in Middle Earth and on the quest with the Fellowship of the Ring."

Bakura came up behind me and stole my copy of the Fellowship.

"Does this mean that Yugi might be mentioned in the Two Towers and the Return of the King?"

"Undoubtedly," Yami said, snatching the book from Bakura, "the story might be altered with Yugi's appearance."

"Don't look now guys," Bakura said, looking at my book over the Pharaoh's shoulder, "but Yugi isn't alone in the fellowship. The puppy is with him."

"What!?" Yami and I shouted, grabbing the book.

Sure enough, there was Jounouchi Katsuya's name and physical description. Oh, that is so not fair!

"How come Jounouchi gets to go to Middle Earth and I don't?" the former pharaoh whined, squeezing one of Yugi's couch pillows.

"Why do I suddenly feel like that one girl whose best friend got transported into a magical book and follow the story along to summon a beast god and save an entire country?" Bakura whined with the pharaoh.

"You've watched too much anime, Bakura," I say, holding onto my book, "but I think the Pharaoh's right. The entire story of the Fellowship, and the entire Lord of the Rings series, might be changed with Yugi's appearance."

"Yay," Bakura said sarcastically, "the Pharaoh's hikari gets to rewrite an entire history of events in a book more famous than fried noodles. What do his friends do? Sit back and watch the events play out. Anyone have popcorn and something that'll link us to Yugi? I feel a need for a Fushigi Yuugi parody. And there is no such thing as 'too much anime' Hikari. You just haven't discovered the beauty of it yet."

"This isn't a Fushigi Yuugi parody, Tomb Robber," Yami growled, "And lets pray that it doesn't turn into one. The last thing we need is strange things happening to us while reading the Fellowship."

"Damn," Bakura swore, "I was hoping for some parody fun. And I was so looking forward to the Pharaoh being turned into an Egyptian shish kabob."

I skimmed the book to see if Yugi had anything that might help us link to him. Sure, I was stealing Bakura's idea that this was a Fushigi Yuugi parody, but a link might be able to help us in tracking down everyone. I stood up between the two dark halves to make them stop trying to kill each other... again...

"The book says Yugi still has his duel disk with him, along with his duel monster's deck. I think the book also mentioned that Yugi had the puzzle with him. Those things might help us."

"Do you and Yugi sleep with that Puzzle, Pharaoh?" Bakura asked, a look of disgust painting his face.

"Do you and Ryou sleep with that Ring, Tomb Robber?" Yami threw at Bakura.

Bakura held our treasured item closer while the former pharaoh grinned ear to ear. It was then that the puzzle decided to start glowing.

"If only... if only my other friend's were here, Jou," Yugi's voice said, "they'd know what to do in this sort of situation."

"Yugi?" Yami said, holding the puzzle closer to himself, "Yugi, can you hear me?"

"Yami?" Yugi's voice squeaked, "Is that you Yami? Where are you!?"

"I'm still in Domino City, Yugi," Yami said calmly, "Ryou and Bakura are with me."

"Is Shizuka with ya?" Jounouchi's voice said, "She's not with us."

Bakura looked around the game shop but saw no trace of Jou's younger sister.

"Sorry, pup," Bakura said into the puzzle, "but she's not here. It's seems as though moneybags is gone, too."

Moneybags is a name Bakura calls Seto Kaiba because of his position in the corporate world.

"My guess," Bakura continued, "is that she's in Middle Earth somewhere with Moneybags."

"So, that means that we are really in Middle Earth," Yugi sighed, "and we're part of the actual fellowship. Do you think they know what an autograph is?"

"Yugi," I say, "as much as I'd like an autograph from the fellowship, I'm afraid that that's not possible. I've a feeling that you were sent there for a reason and until we find out what it is, you'll have to follow the original story line."

"But I don't know the storyline as well as you do!" Yugi exclaimed, "and what if I'm talking to you and I reveal something to the fellowship that's going to happen in the future? That would ruin the story for sure!"

"We'll figure something out, Yugi," Yami said comfortingly, "You'll be okay."

"What I'd like to see," Bakura commented snidely, "is how either of you handle a weapon."

"Whaddya mean by that, Bakura!?" Jou yelled at the spirit.

"It's a given fact that there are many battles within Middle Earth, so how do you two plan to stand up against a million or so Orcs and Uruk-hai?"

Jou and Yugi were silent after that.

"How do you know so much?" I asked Bakura.

"I'm your darker half, hikari," Bakura said, using the nickname most yamis use for their lighter halves, "what you know, I know."

"That's a scary thought," I say sarcastically as Bakura grinned like a Cheshire cat, "too bad the feeling isn't mutual."

"This is no time for sarcasm, Ryou," the pharaoh told me whilst I stuck my tongue out at him, "We have to figure out a way for them to get out of there with the others without ruining the story."

"The Pharaoh's right," Yugi said, his voice a bit higher than it should be, "As fun as an adventure like this could be, I don't want to die in a book and not be able to return home again."

"Me neither," Jou agreed, "But we are living the ultimate fantasy adventure ever! Right, Yugi?"

Even though we couldn't see him, we could all tell that Yugi was blushing.

"Yes," Bakura said, leaning over my shoulder, "you're definitely living Ryou's dream at least. He's practically heart-broken right now."

"I'm not broken-hearted!" I exclaim at him, "jealous, yes, but not broken-hearted. I'm living out my dream of living the story of the Lord of The Rings in a way. I guess that's the best I can do."

"If only we could change places, Ryou," Yugi said softly, hearing the emotion, "I'd know you'd love this more than me. Meeting Elrond and those elf twins, seeing the Council and the dwarves and the elves and Aragorn and Boromir and Gandalf and Frodo and Gimli and Legolas and the other hobbits and living all of those lines as if they're actually happening in real time and...!"

"You can stop now, Yugi," I say, my voice full of emotion, "You're making it worse for me than it actually is."

"Sorry, Ryou," Yugi says softly, "I know you're more of a Lord of the Rings Fan. I'll stop describing the events that'll make you feel sad."

"It's all right," I say, touching my millennium item in sadness, "by the way, the twins you met? They are Elrond's sons. Their names are Elrohir and Elladan and they are Arwen's older brothers."

"I KNEW there was a resemblance somewhere!" Yugi exclaimed while I snickered good-naturedly, "I'm curious Ryou, will we see much of Arwen? I know she marries Aragorn in the end, but the movie made such a big deal of their romance."

"I'm not sure," I say, picking up my copy of the Fellowship, "She only has one paragraph of mention in here."

"Only one paragraph for a chick that pretty!?" Jou exclaimed, "That has to be an insult!"

"Why are you getting worked about that pup?" Bakura said snidely, "It's not like she's going to fall for you."

"But she was so nice to us, even if we peeped in on her while she was bathing..." Jou trailed off.

"You saw Arwen naked!?" Yami, Bakura, and I all exclaim quite too loudly.

"We got lost!" Yugi defended, "we didn't know she was in there! Honest!"

"Ya, but you got to admit," Jou said an obvious smile in his voice, "for a fictional character, she was pretty hot."

"Bubbles bad, covered up good parts," Yugi said, going into his pervert mode.

Believe it or not, Yugi was about the biggest little pervert anyone could know. As much as he denies it, Yami tattles on him all the time. I bet he gets it from his grandpa... Guy thought I was a girl the first time we met. Never been so embarrassed in my life...

Shutting up now... The fellowship is getting ready on their more-famous-than-ramen adventure. Better hope Yugi packed a toothbrush and deodorant. This is going to one long journey...


End file.
